Tony Pulis led Stoke City to a long-overdue win – but his time could still be up (Picture: Getty)

So, it’s finally happened. Take a deep breath, sit back and relax.

Stoke ended their winless run last weekend against a QPR side devoid of motivation, commitment or – possibly the most important thing of all – passion.

Despite a sad week for the Potters faithful following the untimely death of former cult hero Paul Ware, it ended on a high as Tony Pulis’ men tore Rangers apart on their way to a 2-0 victory.

Goals from Peter Crouch against his former club, and a twice-taken penalty by Jonathan Walters, were enough to secure the points that as good as relegated QPR to the Championship.

Not since February 9th had Stoke won a fixture, and for only the third time this season the Potters won by two clear goals. It wasn’t so much the result and performance but the team selection and tactics that pleased the Stoke fans the most – although the three points are naturally welcome.

Many fans – myself included – have been calling for a change in Pulis’ approach to games for some time; sick of the dire continuous defensive tactics and playing players out of position, Pulis instead chose to go all-out for a win at Loftus Road, sending the team out to attack rather than hold out for a draw.

Whether that is down to his realisation of the predicament we find ourselves in, or whether he actually decided to listen to the fans and give them what they wanted, we will see over the next few weeks.

While the three points have silenced many of the doubters, the fact remains that there continues to be an air of animosity towards the Welsh manager who has brought so much to the club. No doubt in the chairman’s mind, first and foremost, will be thoughts of staving off relegation, ready for the new financial package next season. It’s at this time though that he needs to be thinking of a replacement for Pulis.

Every manager has a glass ceiling. It seems that this season, Tony Pulis has reached his.

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